Well, that was unexpectedly close.
The Hamilton Fire whipped itself up in a hurry on a gusty Sunday morning, and it didn’t take long for responders from several agencies to show and get to work. Of course, all wildfires catch us somewhat by surprise, but this one got our attention instantly because of its proximity to the Town of Winthrop, to other homes and outbuildings in its path, and to well-used public roads. The subsequent issuing of Level 2 and Level 3 alerts cranked things up, and changed pretty much everyone’s day, one way or another. I also knew that the area where the fire broke out is used by recreationists, and hoped that none were caught in the fire’s trajectory.
I was out in Mazama when I first heard about the fire, so quickly packed up and headed east because I didn’t want to be trapped so far from the News office. Suspecting that Highway 20 might be blocked (it was for a few hours in the afternoon), I decided to return via Wolf Creek Road, a rustic route I have not taken in several years. It’s a fascinating drive but not one you should consider if your vehicle has low ground clearance and a custom paint job.
The road is graveled, narrow, rutted in places, dusty and periodically crossed by cattle guards, which will rattle your bones if you don’t creep over them. I encountered a few other vehicles headed the opposite direction, but mostly had the road to myself until I emerged from the woods at the eastern end. There, people were pulled off the road to watch the fire (and the firefighting) from the safe side of the river. Fire-watching has become an odd but compelling activity in recent years.
It was like watching an aerial show, with a half dozen planes (and at least one helicopter I saw) sweeping around to dump water on the blaze. I didn’t see the big retardant-dumping plane, but people caught some photos of it dousing the area.
I learned later that the Okanogan County Electric Cooperative instituted cautionary power outages on a big part of its service area, leaving many people without electricity and/or internet for hours. That made Twisp a refuge of choice for many of the powerless, although the Red Cross shelter at the Methow Valley Community Center closed Sunday afternoon as it had few takers.
By the time I got to Twisp, first-responder vehicles were still hustling toward the fire on Highway 20, lights and sirens imploring people to pull over (I did, as did most other drivers, but a few seemed oblivious).
The fire generated some immediate attention from the west side media, as a lot of people over there know where Winthrop is. No doubt a few folks said to someone, “I was just there!” Or, “I’m going over there next week!” They can and should.
Flames so close that you could see, hear and smell them must have been unsettling if you live in or were visiting Winthrop. Westernization has made the town hugely popular, but even its stoutest supporters acknowledge that downtown could essentially turn into a big bonfire if the flames ever get close enough.
The town was not without resources. According to one participant, the Winthrop Fire Readiness group met recently and Winthrop Marshall Ty Sheehan shared the town’s emergency action plan, which included measures that were in place ready to be deployed if town needed to be evacuated.
The town “had made info sign boards, they had clipboards ready, vests, and flagging tape,” our correspondent said. “When the fire broke out today, those of us from the group who were able to show up were given clear instructions on what we should do and where we should go to get our next assignments. The evacuation of the town seemed to go pretty smoothly and I would give big kudos to Ty and his team.”
The Hamilton Fire response team was impressive. They kept the blaze small, contained and away from areas where it could do enormous damage. Sunday was anxiety-inducing for most of us, but it is gratifying to know that we can count on excellent protection when we need it.
Thank you to all the people who sent us fire-related photos. We appreciate the support and are sharing as many as we can this week. We are hoping to collect fire-related stories as well, but we have our hands full reporting the basics in time for this week’s paper. If you have any you would like to share, please let us know.
